Princeton
Personality
Jean Stratton

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caption:ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE: "I've always had
an affinity for working with people and being a part of things
that are beneficial to others. I've never been reluctant to
work for things that are needed to help people." Jim Floyd, former
Mayor of Princeton Township, has spent his adult life advocating
for positive change.end
of caption

Former
Township Mayor Jim Floyd Is Committed to Positive Change

Jim Floyd is no stranger to hard work. Early in his boyhood, he
developed a strong work ethic and a determination to see a
project through to completion. Later, whether as a college
student, business executive, Mayor of Princeton Township, or
community activist, he has tackled issues with energy, discipline,
and dedication. Seeking ways to remedy ills, promote equal
opportunity, and encourage communication among groups has been
his priority.

Born in Trenton in 1922, he was the oldest
son of John and Adeline Floyd. Siblings included a brother
Samuel and sisters Daisy and Mary. Two other children died
before Jim was born.

Growing up in Trenton in the late
1920s and '30s consisted of hard work, good times, and sharing
with others, he recalls. It was the midst of the Great Depression,
and the need for sharing was emphasized in his family.

"I really admired my dad," says Mr. Floyd. "I understood
where he was coming from. He practiced what he preached. He
had a variety of jobs, including working for the railroad and
also for factories in Trenton. He was a superintendent of the
Sunday School, and he loved working with the church. We all
attended church regularly.

"My dad never had a car,"
continues Mr. Floyd. "He walked or took the trolley. When
he was walking, if someone came up to him and needed help, he would
give them our home address, and my mother would give them something
to eat. My father had his ideals, and he simply said, 'You've
got to be a person of ideals and work and help other people.
You need a relationship with people.

"He was also
a great baseball fan. He loved baseball, and would go to see the
games of the old Negro League."

Saturday Chores

Jim was expected to do Saturday chores at home, including mopping
the kitchen floor and taking the rugs outside to beat them,
but once he was finished, he loved to go to a Saturday movie
matinee.

"We lived in East Trenton, and we went downtown
to the movies on State Street. I was a great fan of the Westerns,
and I always cheered for the native Americans!"

He also exhibited signs of a budding entrepreneur, selling newspapers
to help earn money, and as he recalls, "The Trenton Times
was then on Stockton Street, and you could buy the paper for
a penny. I'd buy 25 and then take them back to our neighborhood
and sell them for two cents. The profit was my quarter for
a hot dog, root beer, and movie or something at the Five and Ten Cent
store on Saturday."

"When we sold the papers,
we'd always shout 'EXTRA'," he adds, "and I remember
selling the papers during the time of the Lindbergh baby's kidnapping
and the trial."

Jim was a good student and relished
the opportunities school presented. "I loved it,"
he says. "I enjoyed the challenge of being better than the others,
and I worked hard. I loved art, and I especially liked to draw
and paint."

In fact, during his elementary and
junior high school years, he took additional art classes on
Saturday mornings at the Trenton School of Industrial Arts.

Neighborhood-Oriented

"The Trenton school system was neighborhood-oriented,"
he explains. "I went to a neighborhood elementary school
which was totally integrated, and our neighborhood was also
totally integrated. There was real diversity. We knew everyone
on our street and on the next street. The streets tended to be ethnically-oriented.
Two streets over, it was primarily Italian."

"But
the family next door to us was Polish, and their son was my closest
friend. His father was a father to us, as my father was to them.
I really missed him when their family moved. There was a bond
between us."

When he attended junior high, Jim went
to the Lincoln School, which was predominantly African-American.
"It had a great influence on me," he reports. "The
teachers there took the students seriously. Dr. P. J. Hill was the
principal, and he was an inspiration to all the students. He encouraged us
to go on to higher education, and he secured scholarships for
many of the students."

"I am enriched by having
gone to Lincoln School because I met the sons and daughters
of African-American professionals  doctors and lawyers.
I have friends to this day who were my classmates in junior
high school."

Although he suffered from asthma, Jim
enjoyed sports, particularly basketball and track, specializing
in the high jump. "Our track coach, Pete Morgan was a
remarkable coach and a great inspiration to me," remembers
Mr. Floyd. "He went on to coach at Princeton University."

Radio was a big focus of entertainment in the 1920s and '30s,
and Jim and his family often listened together.

The
Lone Ranger

"I remember waiting to hear the news
and the reports of the famous newsman Lowell Thomas,"
he recalls, "and I was a big fan of The Lone Ranger and
Tonto. I also loved the music  especially jazz and the Big
Bands, with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.
And I remember the Ink Spots and the Mills Brothers."

Although his childhood was happy and relatively free of discrimination,
he did come face-to-face with racism at a young age.

"My
mother's father was a minister outside of Savannah, Ga.,"
says Mr. Floyd. "We would go to visit, and my first real
experience with discrimination was on the train going south.
The train, which was a steam engine, was segregated, and we
had to sit in the first car right behind the engine. I remember
going out of Washington, all the soot and steam came in, and
I had a hard time with my asthma."

When he went to
Trenton Central High School, Jim continued his interest in
art, and further developed his business skills, emphasizing his
bent as an entrepreneur.

"When I worked on a farm
in Hightstown in the summer, we'd pick 100 bags of potatoes
for five cents a bag. It was sunrise to sundown. We'd start at
6 a.m., and by mid-day, it could be hot as blazes!"

"The farmer said if I could get some extra pickers, I'd earn
an extra penny for each bag. So I rounded up some friends,
and then when I'd saved enough, I'd go to F. W. Donnelly in
Trenton to buy a sports coat. I liked to go to the men's clothing
stores, and I enjoyed having nice clothes."

Artistic
Lawyer

After graduation in 1939, Jim worked at a drug
store in Trenton before attending West Virginia State College
in 1940. Because of his asthma, he was not able to serve in
the military in World War II.

"I majored in art and
political science at college, and for a while, I thought I'd
be an 'artistic lawyer'," he says with a smile. "The
good part about an all African-American college was that you
met African-Americans from all over the country and even the
world. And, many you continued to stay in touch with. A classic
example is when I was transferred to Cleveland for my work
in the 1970s, we knew people there I had gone to school with.
It's great networking."

Jim excelled in college, playing
basketball, serving as president of his class, president of
his fraternity, graduating magna cum laude, and third in his
class. His work ethic and leadership qualities continued to help
him achieve.

"I set a regimen for study," he
explains. "My roommates were great guys, but my study
habits were a little different than theirs. I'd get up at 5 a.m.
to study for two hours before I'd have to report to my job in
the bakery at the dining room. These were all good learning
experiences, and I also made some extra money by selling pies."

In addition, he worked as a student art assistant at college,
and it was also while there that he saw the value of active
engagement in the issues of the day.

"Most African-American
colleges are land grant colleges," he explains. "The
federal government had stipulated that land grant colleges should
have ROTC units. Ours didn't, and while I am a pacifist, I
am also an activist. I went to Washington to petition the government,
and we got an ROTC unit."

Broader Picture

It was also a time when he became very much aware of the broader
picture in the society, in particular regarding the "Separate
but Equal" policy in education.

"It was while
at West Virginia College that I learned the true meaning of
'separate but unequal,' which later manifested itself in Brown
v. Board of Education in 1954," explains Mr. Floyd. "The
president of the college was very engaged in these issues,
and he encouraged our involvement."

After graduation
in 1944, he went to work for Stokes Molded Products in Trenton.
"I had extensive experience in mechanical drawing, and they
needed a draftsman in the engineering department," he
recalls.

His life took another turn in 1946, when he married
Fannie Reeves, whom he had met at a party in Trenton. She had
been born and brought up in Princeton, and the couple settled
there on Quarry Street.

His career went well, and as he
recalls, "Stokes was later purchased by Electric Storage
Battery Company in Philadelphia, and they planned to use Stokes
as a training ground. I was only one of three African-American salaried
employees, and when I was chief draftsman, I met a chap who became plant
manager, and he said the way to go was in management. So, I got
out of engineering and into management positions.

"It
was a good company to be with," continues Mr. Floyd. "The
president of the company was a person of principle, who believed
opportunities should not be denied, but available to all people."

During this time, two sons, James, Jr. and Michael, were born
to the Floyds, and Mr. Floyd began to be more and more engaged
in community issues, especially in the areas of housing and
equal opportunity.

"Very early on, I became involved
in the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. The minister
was Benjamin J. Anderson, whose mission was immediate outreach
to migrant workers and addressing the lack of open occupancy housing
in Princeton.

Social Concern

"We had to address
the fact that the town needed to develop an active social concern
for those who had been denied. This became especially pronounced
later in the 1960s, but even earlier in the '50s, the Princeton Association
of Human Rights (PAHR) had been set up. The exciting thing was that
it was a diverse group of people in town who set about tackling
these issues and trying to remedy them. It's where I cut my
eye teeth."

Mr. Floyd became more and more active,
serving on the Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment and helping
to identify discriminatory housing policies and other civil
rights violations.

In 1961, the family moved from the Borough
to the Township, and he served on the Planning Board and other
municipal boards and committees.

"After I had worked
on these issues, some of my friends and colleagues urged me
to run for Township Committee," he notes. "I was elected
as a Democrat in 1969, and it was the first time two Democrats
 the other was Tom Hartmann  were elected at the
same time. Before, it had been primarily Republican."

"We broke the Republican monopoly," states Tom Hartmann,
a long time associate and colleague of Mr. Floyd. "Jim
is the conscience of Princeton. His concern has been particularly
for that part of the community whose voice was not always heard,
that didn't have influence or power. He has been very, very
important in getting housing for low and middle income people.
Without him, I doubt a lot of that would have been accomplished.
He has also been very active in getting a human rights and
civil rights commission in Princeton."

"He
has been a force in the community and continues to be. His concern has
truly been for the total community, a voice of concern for what
happens to all the people. I have known him since the 1960s.
He's a wonderful guy, and I respect him very, very much."

For his part, Mr. Floyd, who later served as Mayor, remarks, "I
was pleasantly surprised to be elected. A foray into politics
in Princeton Township had not been high on my list of what
I wanted to do. I was proud of being Mayor, however. Proud
that the party I was affiliated with had the top elected position,
and I was proud as an African-American.

"I enjoyed
being on the Committee for two reasons," he continues, (1) People
knew I was very strong on housing regarding open occupancy and affordability.
I had strong feelings about civil rights and the Civil Rights Commission;
and (2) it was an opportunity to express my ideas and hopefully to
see them implemented."

Diverse Groups

"As
I look back, I give Jack Wallace, the Mayor before me, and a Republican,
a lot of the credit. We were able to pass a resolution 
a Declaration of Need  as a precursor to Princeton Community
Housing. Without that, we wouldn't have Princeton Community
Housing."

Mr. Floyd is very much aware of the need
for weighing the needs of the diverse groups in the community
and trying to create policies that are fair and equitable to
all residents.

"When I was Mayor, I would have people
come up to me with their own personal concerns," he notes.
"You listen to all of them and try to understand it 
each person speaks with his or her own particular concern at the
moment  and all of that has to be weighed and balanced with
what kind of ordinances are formulated. And your responsibility
always is to serve all in the community."

"It's
important to understand the interface of people and that Princeton is
a conglomerate of neighborhoods, often separate and unequal, but
it is necessary to serve all the people."

After
having been elected twice to Township Committee, Mr. Floyd stepped
down in his second term because of a career transfer to Cleveland when
he became Director of Employee Relations for the Automotive Group
of Electric Storage Battery Company. The Floyds stayed there
for five and a half years, but always knew they would return
to Princeton, despite enjoying Cleveland.

After coming
back in 1977, Mr. Floyd was promoted to general manager of the
plant and then to Vice President of Personnel for the company.
He also resumed his role as a community activist, serving on
numerous boards and committees and encouraging others to become
engaged as well. He has been involved with Corner House since
its inception and continues to serve on the Corner House Foundation
Board. He is a charter member of Princeton Community Housing,
and is on its board.

He was a member of the Citizens Advisory
Committee on Housing, a member of the board of directors for
the Princeton Association of Human Rights, and officer of the
Princeton Housing group, which built two open occupancy developments
in the Princeton area.

Mr. Floyd has always favored consolidation
of the two Princetons, and twice was a member of the Princeton
Committee on Consolidation. "I have always thought consolidation
was more practical and beneficial to the two municipalities,"
he explains.

In addition, he is or has been on the board
of the Princeton Cemetery, the United Way, the Association
for the Advancement of Mental Health, and he initiated the
summer engineering program at Princeton University for black middle
school youth. He also founded host family sponsors for black students at
Princeton University.

He is a member of the Princeton Committee
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and a life member of
NAACP. Mr. Floyd continues to serve as an elder and clerk of
session of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church.

Dedicated
Citizen

Among the many honors that have come his way is
the Gerard B. Lambert Community Service Award, which he received
in 1986. The citation reads in part: "A wonderful and
dedicated citizen, whose leadership, sound judgement and caring
have made a significant difference in the lives of his neighbors 
all of us."

Mr. Floyd was honored with the First Baptist
Youth Board Award this year, and he and his wife were co-recipients
of the Community House of Princeton University Honors Award.
He also received the Princeton University Community House Legacy
of Service "Living Legend" Award.

As his long-time
friend Donald Moore remarks: "Jim has many admirers. I
admire him for his honesty, his tenacity, and his 'take-no-prisoners' approach.
He deals with situations fairly and does a tremendous amount of research
on all of his subjects. Jim is truly an icon who deserves more
than applause for leading many of us through problems that
few of us were willing to tackle."

Although he
retired from the Electric Storage Battery Company in 1982, followed
by five years as Vice President of Personnel at ETS, Mr. Floyd shows
no sign of slowing down. His days continue to be filled with meetings and
advocacy sessions. In some cases, he is encouraged by the direction Princeton
has taken, but in others, he is disappointed and sees the need
for harder work and more attention given to issues beneficial
to the entire community.

"In the 1960s  the
days of heightened civil rights involvement  the houses
of worship were in the forefront of social activity and in the inclusion
of all people," he explains. "Now, I'm afraid they are
just a gathering of people one day a week, but not a force
for outreach anymore. There is less social consciousness than
there was before."

"I'd like to change those
things in Princeton that belie the ability and knowledge that
is here. I abhor the fact that institutions and relationships with
people of influence can take precedence over a plan of action
that is good for the whole. That still happens here.

Sharing
Ideas

"There are still people who have a concern,
but they are reluctant to participate or take any kind of action
before counting noses and determining whether people of influence
will come on board. This is not a sincere attempt to try to
understand the issues," he continues.

"Unfortunately,
there's a defensiveness today that manifests itself in not
going beyond yourself, in sharing ideas, expressing concern, and
being part of the solution. Some people have given up, others
feel intimidated. But you can't live any place and not think
of the good of the whole."

Mr. Floyd is also concerned
about the "creeping institutional encroachment" that
he feels is becoming more prevalent here. He has been an opponent
of the proposed expansion of the Arts Council, which he believes
is too large and out of character for the surrounding neighborhood.

"No one has the right to say to the Zoning Board or Planning
Board that existing ordinances should arbitrarily be changed,"
he points out. "It's creeping institutional encroachment."

His friend of many years, Willie Mae Tadlock, who is also active
in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood association, says of
Mr. Floyd: "He is a very forthright, thoughtful, and forceful
person. He keeps us on target and reminds us to concentrate
on the issue at hand. That is what I really like about him.
He's a good man. If you have Jim in your corner, you've got a good
man."

When Mr. Floyd takes a rare break from his activities
as an engaged citizen, he can be found listening to jazz or
perhaps taking a cruise with his wife.

Jazz Festival

"I love jazz," he says enthusiastically. "I go
to the Jazz Festival in New Orleans, and I enjoy hearing Winton
Marsalis. I also have the entire video set of the Ken Burns
TV series on jazz."

"My wife and I also love
cruising," he adds. "We have probably cruised 40
or 50 times, including to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Alaska,
and Bermuda. We especially love Bermuda."

But they
are also strongly attached to their home town. As Mrs. Floyd says,
"Jim loves being involved in the community, and he always
hopes to make a difference."

Despite what he considers
its shortcomings, Mr. Floyd remains hopeful about Princeton's
future. "I like the fact that there is always a challenge in
Princeton, and I look forward to seeing some of the changes come
about that indicate we can think together about the good of
the whole."

"At 82 years old, I continue to live
for the day when people will have an understanding and exchange
of ideas and a willingness to see the other point of view 
a willingness to realize that we can change direction if we have
made a mistake."

"I have always tried to work
with people in the interest of the broader social spectrum
and in establishing relationships that make a community, and always
trying to improve it. This continues to be the biggest issue facing Princeton
today."